The Backup
by Sweet Lu
Summary: Deeks is brought in as a backup to Lauren Hunter who is undercover at a law firm. His alias is introduced as her boyfriend and Kensi is not happy.


**The Backup**

Kensi and Callen had just come in from the gym when they heard Sam's laugh echo through the bullpen. He was watching Hetty in wardrobe, so they wandered over to see who she was dressing and for what assignment.

"Deeks?" Callen smiled, as he looked at a version of the liaison officer none of them had seen before. His light beard was neatly trimmed to his jaw line, and his hair was tidier than normal and slightly shorter. He was dressed in new jeans, a white linen shirt open at the neck and a sepia colored Hugo Boss sportcoat. And he was grinning widely as he proudly showed off his new look.

"Wow," Kensi said as a smile of wonder lit her face. "You really do look fantastic."

"You do clean up well, Deeks," Callen said, clearly impressed with what Hetty had accomplished. "But, what assignment is this for, Hetty?"

"Mr. Deeks is going in as a backup in an on-going operation." Hetty replied as she brought out additional wardrobe options for Deeks' assignment. "We need a secondary operative to pass on gathered intelligence. His alias will be as an immigration lawyer that works for a small law firm that helps low income families."

"Who's he backing up?" Callen asked, his curiosity visible in his eyes.

"Miss Hunter," she answered. "She is working undercover at a major law firm and Mr. Deeks will be introduced as her boyfriend."

The rest of the team stood dumbstruck with shocked looks on their faces, especially Kensi.

The first one to recover was Sam. "And you expect high class attorneys to believe that Deeks and Hunter are a couple?" His laugh was explosive and even Callen smiled. Deeks on the other hand, gave him a dirty look as he tried on another expensive jacket. Kensi just looked furious.

"For your information, Sam," Deeks said, "I can be very charming."

"Why does it have to be Deeks?" Kensi asked, growing more uncomfortable by the minute with the image of Deeks and Hunter playing lovers.

"Well, it certainly couldn't be Mr. Callen, my dear," Hetty said. "They would bite each other's heads off within seconds of his introduction to her colleagues. Plus, Mr. Deeks is an attorney and that will be a great help to us on this case."

"And, what case is that, Hetty?" Callen's eyes narrowed and intensified as he stared at her.

"I run other cases besides yours, Mr. Callen," she said with an enigmatic smile lighting up her face. "I'm afraid this one only involves Mr. Deeks and Miss Hunter at this time. If I need your expertise later, I will ask for it." Then she turned and motioned for Deeks to follow her as she headed back to her office.

"I give this one day," Sam said shaking his head. "As soon as Hunter's lawyer pals see Deeks and stop laughing, their little love affair will be dead in the water."

"Shut up, Sam," Kensi hissed as she stormed back to her desk.

"What did I say wrong, G?" Sam was surprised by Kensi's reaction and looked to his partner for support. "Why is she mad at me?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you just made fun of the guy she's in love with," Callen said slapping his partner on the back. "Besides, I think she's jealous." He whispered that last part, so Kensi wouldn't hear.

"But you agree with me about the pairing of those two, don't you?" Sam asked as they headed back to the gym.

"Yeah, I do, but Hetty obviously sees it differently." Callen and Sam walked out, leaving Kensi to stew over the new development in private.

She began to slam things around on her desk and didn't notice Deeks come into the bullpen.

"Kens, are you okay?" he asked, looking puzzled.

She stopped and turned towards him with a petulant look on her face. "I don't like this, and I don't like her," she told him angrily.

Deeks' face broke into a crooked grin as he reached out and tried to pull her toward him. She resisted and he let her go, shaking his head.

"Kens, it's just an undercover assignment." he said, exasperated with her reaction. "I'm not really going to be her lover. You know that, don't you? I'm just there so she can pass information on to Hetty."

"I know," she said, looking embarrassed, finally smiling and reaching for him. He took her in his arms and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent in her soft hair. "How long will you be gone?" she questioned.

"Maybe a month, maybe longer," He kissed her forehead and would have proceeded lower, if Hetty hadn't called for him.

"Don't worry, I won't let her seduce me," he teased as he walked out, dodging a stale donut she threw at his head.

...

"Gentlemen, may I introduce my friend, Timothy Gage." They all turned and he could see each of them evaluating him as they shook his hand. He made it a point to be extra courteous and extremely charming to their wives, and by the end of the cocktail part of the evening, he was being flirted with by half of them. His backstory was perfect. Since his alias, Tim Gage worked primarily with indigent families on immigration problems and mostly pro bono, the partners and Hunter's colleagues had no social or professional connections he had to worry about. Hunter, whose alias was Krista Randolph, worked the room expertly, occasionally returning to Tim's side to whisper in his ear and lean into him as she smiled and introduced him to clients and co-workers. It was an informal gathering at one of the partner's homes, ending with an ultra-chic, catered outdoor barbecue overlooking the lights of the city. As he got himself another beer, he couldn't help but feel as if he was in a movie.

"A little different from what you're used to on a daily basis, I'm guessing," Frank Norris, one of the partners said as he took a glass of champagne from the table.

"Very different," Tim answered lightly, trying not to show offense at his condescending tone, but definitely on alert. Here comes the first test, he thought.

"Krista hasn't told us too much about you," he said looking out over the city. "How did you two happen to get together?" Then he turned and stared intently at Deeks, who now knew he was on.

Norris was a tall man, elegant in a slick kind of way. Deeks knew he was in his fifties from the research he had done, but he didn't look it. His hair was salon cut, and somewhat long and probably colored. His eyes were almost grey and he had a small scar above his left eyebrow that hinted at an interesting past. With his money, Deeks was curious as to why he didn't have it removed. It must represent a special event in his life that he didn't want to forget, Deeks thought.

"I met Krista when the last law firm she was with asked her to work on a pro bono case I was involved in," Tim answered quietly, taking a sip of his beer and looking directly at Norris with a small grin on his face.

"Something funny about that question, Mr. Gage?" Norris seemed slightly offended by his smile.

"No, I've just been waiting for one of you to ask it since I got here." Then Tim laughed and he saw Norris relax. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?" he said and gave Norris a self-deprecating look that let him know how lucky he felt to have her.

"I like your sportcoat, Mr. Gage," Norris went at him again, trying to get him off-balanced. "But, I'm curious as to how you can afford it on what you make working with low income families."

Deeks was beginning to enjoy the game they were playing, and thinking what an asshole this guy was, when Krista came up behind them and answered Norris's question.

"It was a gift from me, Frank," she said coldly. "Not that it's any of your business."

Then she entwined her fingers with Tim's and they turned and walked over by the pool, where they could be alone, but still be seen by everyone. Then she stepped in front of him and put her hand behind his head and lifted her lips to his and kissed him deeply. Tim responded, stroking her arms slowly and then pulling her body tightly to him. As he let her go, he bent to gently kiss her neck, holding her cheek in his hand and then brushing a stray wisp of hair from her face. Then he wrapped his arm around her and they walked slowly away from the party, talking quietly and laughing together.

As they drove away from the party, Hunter looked at him and smiled. "You're very good at this," she said with surprise. "From the party chatter I was hearing, half the partner's wives were lusting after you."

"Good timing, stepping in when Norris was nipping at my heels." he said, looking at her as she touched up her make-up. "Is he always such a prick?"

"I think he was born that way," she laughed. "But he's not the one we're suppose to concentrate on. The senior partner, Joe Parker, is the one we're after. Norris is just his pit bull, the one he gives the scent to and sends to run down his prey."

"So tonight, I was the prey?" Deeks asked solemnly. He'd been prey before, but not in these rich surroundings. He was pretty sure there wasn't much of a difference between the last hunter he'd faced and this new one, except for how they made their money and the social circles they ran in.

"They don't like surprises, and you're a big surprise I sprang on them." She took a deep breath, and he saw that she was trembling.

"You okay?" he asked as he reached across and took her hand. He could feel her tense up as he touched her.

"Yes. I wasn't sure this would work when Hetty suggested it," she said letting her breath out in a long sigh. "I got the impression from the team, that I wasn't welcome, so I was surprised when you agreed to do this and that we worked so well together on this trial run."

"You could just say I was a good kisser and let it go at that," he said, giving her his best crooked grin.

"I give you very high marks in that department." Then she smiled briefly and looked out the window and he knew there was something she wasn't telling him about this operation.

"Did Hetty ever tell you how I was received by the team when she recruited me?" Deeks asked her quietly.

"She mentioned a few things when I asked for more personal information on you," she answered, turning her cool gaze on him. Her eyes were curious, and he guessed that she still wasn't completely sold on his involvement in this case. But, he was also pretty sure she needed him, and not just for taking intel back to Hetty. Something else was going on.

"Let's just say, they don't like surprises either." He pulled up to the valet at her apartment building and jumped out. As he helped her out, he caught a glimpse of the car that had been tailing them since they left the party, memorizing the tag as he slapped his girlfriend on the butt and whispered the intel into her ear. She laughed as they walked arm in arm into the building.

"Is your apartment bugged?" He whispered as he nuzzled her neck.

"No," she giggled into his ear.

"Any hidden cameras?" he breathed softly into her hair.

"Too tough to check without blowing my cover," she said just before pushing him into the elevator while kissing him passionately.

When they came out of the elevator they both knew they were probably being watched, so they were Tim and Krista for the rest of the night. Deeks was really glad Kensi would never know about this, as he unlocked Krista's door and kissed her as they moved inside. They kept the lights low as he poured her a drink and she put on some light jazz. She went into the bedroom to change as he took off his jacket and shoes and proceeded to get comfortable on the couch.

He tried to decide where they might have placed the cameras, but it would just be a guess. He was pretty sure where one was, and that was in the bedroom. He wasn't ready to perform for her bosses, so he decided there were only a couple of ways out of this that wouldn't make whoever was watching suspicious. One was to get so drunk they wouldn't be able to perform and the other was to get into an argument, which would allow him to storm out.

When Krista came back into the room, she was dressed in a red satin camisole over black satin pajama bottoms, and he almost dropped his glass. Smiling, he handed her a drink and began to nuzzle her neck as he laid out their choices. She laughed and went to the sideboard and picked up a bottle of Glenlivet, and they started some serious drinking. After a while he realized he wasn't feeling drunk. He suddenly pulled her on top of him and buried his head in her hair as he kissed her neck.

"Did you cut this stuff?" he whispered.

"You're a very smart guy," she breathed back and then she laughed and began to unbutton his shirt, kissing his chest as each piece of bare skin appeared. He was starting to get aroused and even though the scotch wasn't pure, it gave him enough of a buzz to make him lose control a little bit. He looked into her eyes and he could tell she wasn't totally acting either, and it made him wary of where this might go. But, he knew he didn't really have a choice. Maybe the argument scenario would have been a better way to go. Shit! If Kensi found out about this they would both end up dead, he thought.

Hunter had his shirt totally open now, and his body was beginning to respond to the soft, sensual kisses she was placing lower and lower on his stomach down to his abdomen. What the hell was she doing, he wondered? Was she trying to seduce him, or was she just drunker than he thought?

As she sat straddling him, he sat up and his hands found there way up under her camisole. The sensuous feel of the satin against his hands and the coolness of her bare skin excited him and he pulled her closer, kissing her softly as his hands reached her breasts. She opened her eyes and he could see the longing there and a sadness he hadn't noticed before. She suddenly stood up and backed away, picking up the now empty bottle of scotch as she walked into the kitchen. He swallowed hard and followed her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly and he could tell she was crying. "I let it go too far."

When she turned around holding a full bottle of scotch, he saw her smile and wipe her tears, mouthing the word "uncut". Her icy blue grey eyes locked onto his, and he knew she was back under control and ready to get seriously drunk. Now he was positive there was something about this case or her work during this assignment that she wasn't telling him or Hetty, and he needed to know what that was.

...

"Hetty?" Nell had rushed to her desk as soon as she and Eric noticed the increased interest in Deeks' alias. "Someone's doing some serious digging into Deeks' backstory."

"How deep, Miss Jones?" Hetty asked as she finished making her tea. She also saw three heads turn in the bullpen.

"They've gone back five years already, but that's not unusual," Nell said breathlessly. "What is unusual is what they seem to be looking for."

"And that would be?" Hetty leaned forward expectantly as she saw how nervous her analyst was.

"Criminal activity." Nell seemed to deflate as she uttered the words.

"Interesting, Miss Jones." Hetty immediately picked up her cell and dialed Hunter. "Hello Krista, it's Aunt Clare. Would you be able to take me to a doctor's appointment this afternoon? My driver has become Ill, and I can't reschedule. Thank you. See you at three."

As she turned back to speak with Nell, Callen was standing next to her.

"Anything I can help with, Hetty?" he said with a trace of a smile on his lips.

"Perhaps, Mr. Callen. I'll let you know more after I've spoken with Miss Hunter." Then she shooed them both away, and took out a file. She was not happy with the way things were going, and she was afraid the case was headed in a different direction than she had anticipated. Something was not right and she had to find out what that was. Her next phone call was to the director, alerting him to the latest activity and the need to possibly involve additional members of the team. After getting off the phone with Vance, she sat contemplating what this interest in Deeks meant and how it would effect his involvement. He certainly had made an impression on someone, but she didn't know if it had been good or bad.

...

Despite their hangovers, Deeks had managed to convince Hunter to go for a run along the beach. He knew it was a good place to talk without worrying about surveillance, and it was a good way to sweat out whatever alcohol he still had in his system, which, after putting a pretty good dent in the second, full strength bottle of scotch, was quite a lot.

"How's the head?" he asked finally after a couple of miles.

"Shut up," she replied, sounding an awful lot like Kensi, he thought. It made him smile.

He slowed to a walk and took her hand, in case someone was watching, but she pulled it away, surprising him. So, he stopped running and waited for her to do the same. When she came back to where he was standing, she had a cold, furious look on her face.

"What the hell is going on that you're not telling me?" he said bluntly, and he could tell she was caught off guard by the question.

"What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly and turned to stare up the beach.

"Something is going on with you that wasn't in the briefing at OSP." He moved closer to her, studying her reaction and body language. She was a very controlled person, but she did have a few small tells. She always crossed her arms in front of her body when she was frustrated with how a conversation was going or if she was losing control of a situation, and she pursed her lips when she was trying not to tell someone what she really thought of them or of what they were saying. She was doing both now.

"The only thing going on with me is trying to control you." She turned quickly toward the sea, and he couldn't see her expression, not that it would have helped.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He was exasperated with her but he put his hands on her arms and started to stroke them slowly to calm her down, but he got the opposite reaction. She turned and slapped him. He was stunned and completely baffled by her.

"Don't do that," she said harshly, and he could see tears had filled her eyes.

"Tell me what's going on, Hunter, or my part in this op is over," he said seriously.

"You surprised me last night," she whispered and a smile flashed across her face. Then she turned and walked down to the wave line and stood trembling. He followed, standing next to her, but making sure he didn't touch her or say anything.

"I didn't know what to expect when Hetty suggested you come on as my backup." she began. "I knew we would have to convince them we were a couple, but I wasn't prepared for you. It's been a long time since someone got to me the way you did last night. I watched you during the party, and you handled yourself so confidently with those rich, arrogant bastards, it made me want to kiss you. And when I did, I didn't want to stop. That's why I let things go too far last night. I didn't want to stop. You're gentle and kind and funny and so very, very sexy." Then she turned toward him and put her hand on his chest, reaching for his cheek with the other and slowly brought his head down and kissed him long and deep.

Deeks was stunned, not only by what she said, but also by her passionate kiss, and he couldn't help himself. He responded, and kissed her back as deeply as she was kissing him, and he knew this op was in big trouble, and he knew he was in trouble as well. He loved Kensi, and he was doing just what he told her he wouldn't let happen. He was letting Hunter seduce him.

"I can't do this, Hunter," he said pulling away from her. He purposely walked into the surf and let the cold, crashing waves cool him down. He felt muddled and he didn't like that feeling when he was undercover. He needed to be sharp and focused, and thinking one or two steps ahead all the time. If you weren't, it could get you killed. As the cold salt water began to make him shiver, he began to go over last night in his mind, especially the drive to her apartment. He remembered his thought that something else was going on with her that she wasn't telling and suddenly he was convinced it had nothing to do with her being attracted to him. He turned back from the water and saw her watching him and he knew this whole act on the beach had been a diversion. And that made him very angry. He strode out of the surf toward her and he could see by her reaction that she knew he wasn't buying.

"What's this really about, Hunter," he said furiously. "And don't tell me how cute and sexy I am and that I make you get all gooey." He grabbed her shoulders and physically shook her. "I don't like being played, especially by my own partner."

She hit him solidly in the mouth, knocking him off balance and leaving him with a bloody nose and lip. He grabbed her arm and swung her around and then pushed her down into the sand and straddled her, holding her arms down until she stopped struggling. He could see she was angry, but why he wasn't sure.

"Tell me, dammit!" he yelled in her face.

She looked away from him and began to sob. Her whole body shook and great gasps came from her as hot tears streaked down her face. He let go of her and she curled into a ball and covered her head with her arms as she was racked by violent tremors. He didn't know what to do, so he sat next to her as she cried herself out. When she had, she sat up and wiped her face and looked out at the ocean, trembling slightly.

"When I went in undercover, I knew I had to get close to the senior partner, Joe Parker. " Her voice was quiet and seemed to come from far away. "I knew he was the one running things here for the Chinese, but I didn't do my homework on the other partners. Specifically, Frank Norris. I told you he was Parker's pit bull, but I didn't realize that at first."

She stopped and shivered before continuing. "He was the one I made a connection with first." She laughed bitterly, and shook her head. "I was so wrong, Deeks, and he made me pay dearly for that. They both did. They saw my interest and my tenacity in immigration cases, so they let me in. We knew they were bringing in illegal Chinese nationals with close ties to the Chinese government, we just weren't sure why. Hetty made sure there was a shady part of my past in my backstory, and sure enough they found it."

She got up and stood silently as the tears fell from her eyes. Then he walked beside her as she started to walk slowly back down the beach.

"Norris invited me over to a house overlooking the Pacific one night. He said they wanted to bring me up to speed on one of the Chinese government officials they were trying to get into the country." She stopped and took his hand and pulled his arm closely to her, as she stood rigid on the sand. "When I arrived, Joe Parker was there, and so was a Chinese national. He was a large, rough looking man, very cold and very creepy. Parker said the man wanted to meet me, and if I wanted to have a part in their biggest income producer, I had to impress this man." She shivered suddenly and he put his arm around her.

"I knew this was our chance to get the intel we needed," she said softly. "And I was so focused on that, that I missed all the signals." She cried quietly, but then wiped her eyes and continued.

"Parker can be very seductive," she went on. "That night he was attentive and charming and there was a lot to drink. He began to touch me and fondle me and I let him. Norris came up behind me and together they began to undress me. I tried to resist but I had let it get too far. They pulled me into the bedroom and I saw the Chinese agent naked in the bed, and I fought to get away, but Norris backhanded me across the face onto the bed, then as I tried to get up, he held me down as Parker took off my bra and panties. They left me lying naked on the bed...and then they left. The Chinese agent beat me and then...he raped me." she whispered, her voice catching and fading at the end.

He hugged her tightly as she sank down into the sand, then he wrapped her in his arms. He didn't say anything, he just rocked her quietly as sobs racked her body.

"You didn't tell Hetty, did you," he finally said.

"No."

"Did you ask for a backup, or was it Hetty's idea?"

"Hetty."

"She knew something was going on," he said quietly as he rubbed her back.

"I want to take these bastards down, Deeks, and if I had told Hetty, she would have pulled me out."

"How close are you to taking them down?" He caught her eye as he asked.

"Closer than I was," she said wiping her eyes. "And they are more open in their discussions around me, now."

"They thought they broke you," Deeks said as he helped her up and then hugged her and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"What did they say when you told them you had a boyfriend."

"They didn't say anything, but I could tell they didn't like it." She looked at him with real concern and said, "Be very careful, Deeks, and watch your back."

"I will, if you will," he answered. "They may come at you again. If they do, will you be able to handle that?"

She paused before answering. "This time I'll be armed."

Deeks put his arm around her and they walked back down the beach together. He tried not to let her see how angry he was, with them and with Hetty.

...

Deeks walked quickly into OSP, not stopping by the bullpen or acknowledging the call out from Kensi. He went straight for Hetty's office and stood shaking with anger in front of her desk.

"You knew and you didn't pull her out?" He asked in a voice low and full of raw emotion.

"I suspected, Mr. Deeks," she answered softly. "There's a difference."

"Bullshit!" he roared and hit her desk with his fist. Callen pulled him back as he stared at Hetty in disbelief. Then he turned and would have walked out, but Sam stood in his way.

"Why didn't you tell me before I went in?" he asked as his anger deepened.

"Because I wasn't sure," Hetty said quietly. "She hides things very well as I'm sure you've discovered. That's why I brought you in, Mr. Deeks. You know what it's like to go in so deep undercover that you become isolated from your case officer, sure that they wouldn't understand what was happening to you. She knew you would understand, otherwise she wouldn't have told you."

"She tried not to," he said solemnly, reflecting on the effort it took to get the truth out of her.

"Tell me what she said, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said quietly after asking Callen and Sam to leave.

So he did. All of it. And when he was finished he got up and left her office, pushing Sam's hand away as he reached out to him as he left the building.

Kensi followed him out and he was almost to his car when she caught up to him.

"Deeks, stop." Kensi reached for his arm as he pulled open the car door and collapsed into the seat. She could tell his emotions were raw and that he was close to losing it, so she didn't say anything, she just put her hand on the back of his neck as he slowly caught his breath. Then he reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her tight.

"They gave her to a Chinese agent and he raped her, Kens." he was so angry he could hardly breathe.

"I don't understand how men can do that to a woman," he said in a barely audible voice. "When I saw what Dante had done to you, I wanted to kill him right then and there. Now, I'm in another op with a woman who has gone through the same trauma and I don't know if I can keep myself under control around these guys enough to do my job."

Kensi knelt in front of him and took his face in her hands and kissed him gently. "I couldn't have made it through that assignment without you."

"You almost didn't, Kens," He buried his head in her neck as he remembered how terrified he had been that she would die.

...

"Mr. Callen, I am going to need your help after all," Hetty said as she watched Deeks storm out. "These people are a little more ruthless than I thought, and for no good reason other than arrogance. And I think Mr. Deeks is going to need a backup, too."

"What's this op about Hetty?" Callen asked as he sat down in front of her.

"This law firm is in business with the Chinese," she began. "We think they are somehow involved in arranging for Chinese agents to get into the country and set up operations here. In return, the Chinese government pays them enormous fees, seemingly all above board. Hunter was assigned to discover the ultimate objective and their methods of getting operatives into the country. Now, it seems they are interested in Mr. Deeks and we don't know why exactly."

"Where is Deeks supposed to have his practice?"

"On Whittier at Atlantic," Deeks interrupted as he walked up behind Callen.

"Can you continue, Mr. Deeks, or do you want out?" Hetty said brusquely, staring at him intently.

"What do you mean, they're interested in me?" Deeks asked, ignoring her question. He could tell she was angry with him, but he didn't care. He was angry with her, too.

"Answer my question, first," she said forcefully, leaning forward in her chair and locking eyes with him.

"I've never walked out on an assignment, Hetty," he answered coolly.

"Then you'll need a backup," Callen spoke trying to break the tension between the two. The conflict between them surprised him. Deeks had always had a fondness for Hetty as she did for him.

"Well, whoever it is has to speak Spanish," Deeks remarked. "And why do I need this backup? I thought I was just the occasional boyfriend who brought you intel from Hunter."

"They've been looking into your backstory for criminal activity," Callen answered as he ran the possibilities through his head, "And I don't think it's because they're trying to protect Hunter from dating the wrong guy. I'd say they want to use your expertise for illegal immigration of Chinese agents."

"I could be his backup," Kensi said as she came to stand next to Deeks.

"No!" Deeks turned quickly with a panicked look on his face. "No, Kens, not this time, please."

"I think Mr. Deeks is right, Kensi," Hetty's face softened as she backed up her agent, earning a relieved look from him that seemed to slightly warm the chill between them. "I was actually thinking of Pete Archuleta. He hasn't found a job since resigning from LAPD and you two are used to working together."

"Pete would be perfect," Deeks said, a small smile appeared for the first time that day.

"Nell needs to give you a nice, juicy, hidden past that they will need to dig for, Deeks," Callen said, warming to the operation. "Then we'll see if we can trip these bastards up."

...

Kensi was quiet as she drove Deeks home and so was he. She kept looking over at him, expecting him to tease her or tell her how much he missed her, but he had withdrawn into himself after his run-in with Hetty.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"That's my line," he said, finally looking over at her with a small grin.

"You didn't answer me," she looked back at him with a questioning look. "Something's bothering you, and don't tell me there isn't. You practically yelled when you told everyone you didn't want me on this op with you. What's going on that you're afraid to tell me?"

"Kens, it would just be too much for me to worry about both of you around those guys." he answered.

"You're worried about her?" Kensi asked, a little annoyed at what that might mean.

"Of course I'm worried about her, Kens," Now he was annoyed. "She's my partner on this assignment, whether you like it or not." His voice had risen as he answered her.

"Did something happen between you two?" she asked, barely able to hide the jealousy in her voice.

She parked in front of his apartment, and turned to hear his answer.

"Yeah, Kens, we had wild, passionate sex ten times last night and I couldn't get enough of her," he shouted at her. "Isn't that what you were thinking?" He got out of the car and slammed the door. He never looked back as he headed up the stairs to his apartment.

"Shit!" Kensi started the car and tore away from the curb with tires squealing.

...

"Callen, I need to go deep cover on this op," Deeks was still angry from his argument with Kensi, and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his head straight if he kept moving between being Marty Deeks at OSP and being Tim Gage. He was upset enough over what had happened to Hunter and his disappointment with Hetty, but if he had to deal with jealousy from Kensi and convince her every time he came into ops that his feelings for her hadn't changed, then he didn't think he could concentrate on his assignment.

"What happened?" Callen could hear the tension in Deeks' voice.

"I just need to be able to focus on being Tim Gage," Deeks said, deflecting Callen's probe.

"Kensi?" Callen asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"I'll take care of it," Callen understood Deeks' need to have his mind clear of distractions. "I'll get an apartment set up for you over by your law office on Whittier. Meet me in ops in two hours and we'll go over your dirty past. Pete will be there, too. Meanwhile, you need to calm down, so go to the beach or something and get your head straight."

"Thanks, Callen," Deeks said as he began to relax a little. "I'm glad you're running this."

"Deeks, Hetty is very upset about what happened. You know that, don't you?"" Callen didn't like dissension during an op. "She's gone to see Hunter."

"She told you what they did. Callen, she should have pulled her out, even if she only suspected what happened." he responded and he felt fresh anger rise in his throat.

"If Hunter wanted to be pulled out, she would have told Hetty," Callen said. "Deeks, I know you're reliving what happened to Kensi, but you can't let that color your perspective on this case, or it will get you in trouble. If this is too close for you to handle, tell me now, and you're off the case."

Deeks was stunned. "No, Callen, I'll be fine. I want to get these guys," Deeks said.

"Okay, see you in two," Callen replied and finally felt a little more confident that Deeks would have his head straight by then and they could begin to figure out how to put these guys away.

...

Pete Archuleta looked different to Deeks. He had let his hair grow long again, but it was the lack of tension in his body that Deeks noticed first. He seemed relaxed and smiled easily. They hugged when they met in OSP, and everyone could see there was a bond between the two men.

"You look a whole lot better than the last time I saw you, man," Pete said as he put his hands on Deeks' shoulders and stared at him for the longest time.

"That wouldn't be hard, dude," Deeks laughed softly as he spoke. He felt comfortable with Pete, never feeling he had to prove anything to him and knowing they would have each other's back in any situation.

"Where's Kensi?" Pete asked, looking around.

"She's sitting this one out," Callen answered.

Pete looked at Marty and knew something wasn't quite right, but he would let Deeks tell him what it was, when and if he wanted to. He kept looking over at Deeks, and each time he did, their last assignment together would flash across his mind. He could see that Deeks had fully recovered after being hunted down and nearly killed in the desert, and that was a great comfort to him, since he still carried guilt about what had happened. Pete thought he probably always would. That's why he took this offer to be Deeks' backup, even though going back undercover was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Who are the bad guys?" Pete asked, getting a quick smile from Deeks.

"Lawyers," Deeks answered.

"That's a little close to home for you, isn't it?" Pete laughed.

"Well, my alias is a lawyer, too, so yeah," Deeks was enjoying having Pete around again and the rest of the team sensed his feeling of ease around the man.

"What's your new name?" Pete grinned, knowing this was part of their pattern at the start of every op they went on together.

"Timothy Gage."

"Hell, that's not very inventive," Pete snorted, drawing a sharp look from Nell who had come up with it and had done Deeks' backstory. "It's pretty, though. I bet a woman came up with that name," he said looking around until he saw the pissed off look on Nell's face. "Sorry," he said quickly. "You're right, it's perfect for Deeks, since he's so cute and all." That drew a laugh from everyone and Nell smiled, letting him off the hook.

"Well, what name did you come up with this time?" Deeks asked, taking Pete's ribbing good-naturedly, and knowing that Pete loved to come up with aliases, always from a Stephen King book.

"Stu Redman," Pete answered.

"The guy from 'The Stand'?" Eric turned quickly around with a smile for the man. "I loved that book." He would have gone on, but caught a warning look from Callen and shut up.

"Yeah, it sounds like a normal guy, and hints at my Navajo ancestry at the same time." he told them proudly. Even Nell was becoming impressed with the attention to detail Pete brought to his job.

"And he's one of the good guys," Deeks noticed, remembering how Pete had to be the bad guy during almost all of his undercover assignments and how it had finally gotten to him on their last job, causing him to resign from the LAPD.

Callen gave Pete a rundown of the operation and outlined what he needed to do.

"Nell will set you up with a backstory, not unlike your real history, but there will be a twist in your past that will make these guys sure they have something on both you and Deeks." Callen told him.

"How dirty am I?" Deeks asked.

"You used to help smuggle illegal immigrants across the border occasionally, to put yourself through law school." Callen answered with a smile.

"How inventive of me." Deeks laughed. "Is that how I met Stu Redman over there?"

"Yes, he was a border patrol officer who caught you during one of your smuggling runs," Nell continued. "But, you convinced him to take a bribe instead."

"You are such a sweet talker, Timmy Gage," Pete smiled, enjoying the camaraderie. "But what do I do for you now, Timmy?"

"You're his investigator." Callen turned as Hetty entered looking withdrawn and slightly angry.

The room went silent when she entered and it caused her to stop and look up.

"Mr. Archuleta, so nice to see you again." Then she walked up to Deeks and they could tell she was wrestling with what she wanted to say.

"Mr. Deeks, I owe you an apology," she said slowly and he knew it was hard for her to say. "I just had a long conversation with Ms. Hunter, and you were right, I should have pulled her out. She's been compromised and I am sidelining her importance in this operation."

"What does that mean for Deeks?" Callen asked.

"She was approached by Norris just before we met, and he told her they had found something interesting in Tim Gage's background." Hetty seemed to become her old self as she spoke. "He wants her to bring him to a meeting at a house overlooking the Pacific tonight. They have a business proposition for him. As soon as they start dealing with Gage, then I intend to find a way to remove Ms. Hunter from their firm."

"Hetty, is she all right?" Deeks asked quietly with concern.

"I think she needs time to heal, physically and mentally, from what the bastards did to her," Hetty said with barely suppressed anger. "It will be up to all of us to carry on and make them pay for their sins."

...

"Are you okay?" Deeks asked again.

"I'm fine," Hunter replied making Deeks shake his head at how many times he had heard that since he came to NCIS. "You're the one who needs to watch himself."

"This is the same house, isn't it?" he said simply, putting a reassuring hand on the small of her back.

"Yes." She turned and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

They rang the bell and waited together. Norris opened the door and ushered them in without a word. Deeks could see, even in the low light, that he had a smug look on his face, so he prepared himself for what he thought was coming, letting his mind go over the different ways he could play it when they revealed their big discovery about his past.

"Tim, let me introduce you to our senior partner, Joe Parker." Deeks shook his hand and could see how he would be considered charming, especially by women. He wasn't particularly tall, but he had a rugged look about him. His hair was dark brown with a sprinkle of grey, and his eyes were a penetrating blue green color that was unsettling. He had large features and Deeks thought his demeanor would make him very effective in a courtroom.

"May I offer you a drink, Mr. Gage?" he said in a deep voice. "I understand you are partial to Glenlivet."

Deeks knew he was letting him know he had been watching his night with Krista. He became very alert to the game he was playing, hoping to stay a step ahead.

"Glenlivet would be fine," he said it tentatively so Parker would think he was curious as to how he would know that. He quickly glanced at Krista to see how she was handling being in this house and he saw she was trembling. He also noticed that Norris was watching her with dark hooded eyes and he felt alarm bells go off in his brain. This guy was a predator, and a very dangerous one.

They spent half an hour making small talk and drinking. Then, as he stood looking out the window at the ocean, Parker turned and nodded to Norris.

"Tim, we've done some checking into your background," Norris said as he came up and put his arm around Krista's shoulders. "We want to make sure our associates don't get involved with the wrong kind of person." Krista went rigid.

"What kind of checking?" Tim's hand trembled slightly and he spilled a bit of his scotch.

"You used to be involved in some very illegal activities, it seems," Norris said with a smirk on his face.

"What's he talking about, Tim," Krista asked looking bewildered.

"It looks as if your perfect boyfriend here used to smuggle Mexicans across the border to earn a little extra cash," Norris threw a file onto the table between them.

"How did you find that out?" Tim said angrily and came around the table to confront Norris and then Parker in turn. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He was shouting now, the scotch heating his words.

"Krista, you need to be careful who you date," Parker's deep voice contained a smugness underneath that Deeks thought hinted at what had been done to Krista in this same house.

"It was only to get enough money to finish college, Krista, I swear," Tim said, pleading for understanding. He saw a glimmer of tears in her eyes, which worked perfectly in the situation, but which he was sure had more to do with her memories of this place than with working her part.

"Oh, don't worry, Tim, we won't turn you into the authorities," Norris said arrogantly, "if you agree to help us in a little project of ours."

"What kind of project?" Tim asked suspiciously, his hand shaking slightly as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

"We need you to help a couple of our Chinese friends come across the border." Norris said, his voice hard and firm. "You're to provide false papers and whatever else they'll need to establish permanent residency in this country."

"Are you serious?" Tim said, letting his eyes go wide and his mouth gape.

Norris hit him hard across the face, knocking him to the floor. As Deeks angrily got to his feet, two Chinese agents came from behind and grabbed him, holding him as Norris hit him again, this time in the stomach. As he tried to catch his breath, Krista rushed at Norris, hitting him in the mouth.

"No, Krista, don't," Deeks yelled, but it was too late. Norris turned and hit her low in the abdomen, and she collapsed on the floor. Deeks broke free and charged Norris, hitting him solidly in the gut and he heard him cry out. His satisfaction was short lived, as the two Chinese men pulled him off. One held his arms behind his back as the other kept hitting him in the ribs until he couldn't catch his breath. As his vision began to fade into a red haze, he saw Norris with a deadly look on his face coming towards him. He tried to prepare himself, but he didn't have much strength left as the Chinese agents pushed his arms high up behind his back. His breath began to come in short gasps.

"Your girlfriend should know better, Tim," Norris said softly, grabbing a handful of his hair and jerking his head back. "Should I tell you what she let us do to her?" Then he slowly began to unbutton Deeks' shirt. "We undressed her slowly, Tim, and she enjoyed it," Norris continued to slowly unbutton his shirt until it was open to the waist and then he placed his hand on Deeks' chest. "You're enjoying this too, aren't you, Tim?" His mouth whispered as it touched Deeks' ear.

Then Parker was beside him and the two of them pulled his shirt off his shoulders and Parker was breathing hard as he began to run his hands slowly over Deeks' body and down toward his pants. Deeks jerked back and struggled to get away, but the two agents held him, making it impossible to escape.

"Get away from me, you bastards," Deeks yelled as Parker began to undo his pants. He closed his eyes as he felt them fall to the floor. "Don't," he pleaded. He could feel the man's breath on his chest as Parker moved his hands over Deeks' hips and thighs, slowly caressing his body.

"You little punk," Norris whispered finally, his lips close against Deeks' cheek. "You're going to do exactly as I say, or these kind of visits will happen every day until you do. Do you understand?"

Then Norris backhanded him across his right eye and then back across his left eye and he kept hitting him until blackness closed in around him.

...

He came awake swinging, making contact with Callen's cheek and striking out wildly as Pete and Sam tried to hold him down. "Deeks, it's Pete, stop. You're okay, you're safe." Pete was shouting as they fought with him, trying not to hurt him anymore than he already was.

"Get away from me!" he yelled as he staggered around the room. Finally they just stood back until he exhausted himself and collapsed on the floor by the bed.

"Let me talk to him," Kensi said as she came into the room. She sat down on the floor next to him and began to talk quietly to him about everyday things. She tried to keep from crying as she looked at his battered face. His eyes were swollen shut, and his breathing was ragged and fast. Hunter had called Hetty and told her what had happened and she sent them to this safe house. So far, he wouldn't let anybody near him, especially the guys and not the doctor Hetty had sent either.

"Kensi?" He called out and reached out his hand toward her. She took it and held it tenderly in both of her hands, slowly stroking the back of it until he crawled to her and she gathered him in her arms and held him until his breathing returned to normal.

The three men left her there with him and went into the living room where Hunter was sitting rigidly and staring blankly into space.

"These sons of bitches need to be seriously beaten into the ground," Pete said as he paced the room.

"They're sick, brutal bastards," Sam said vehemently. "There was no reason for them to do this, they had him where they wanted him on illegal smuggling."

Callen sat down next to Hunter.

"How are you doing?" he asked her quietly. She jerked and sat up straight at the sound of his voice.

"I should have known," she said as a tear fell onto her hand. "They wanted to break him like they broke me. I just didn't think they would do it in the same way."

Kensi called Sam's name and he went into the bedroom.

"Don't say anything, just help me get him on the bed," Kensi said quietly. Together they helped him up and he groaned as they helped him lie down. Kensi covered him with blankets and then sat next to him and cleaned the cuts on his face and held a cold pack on his swollen eyes.

"How did I get here?" He asked.

"Hunter brought you," she said gently as she took his hand and held it in her lap.

"Is she okay? He hit her so hard. It was vicious." he shook his head as he said it.

"She's okay, Deeks. It's you we're worried about," she told him, letting a touch of exasperation show in her voice. "You need to let the doctor examine you."

"This from a woman who refuses to ever go to a doctor or a hospital," Deeks said, his voice hoarse and raw.

"It's not the same," she smiled as she said it and he reached his hand up and touched her lips and felt the smile. She kissed his fingers and she saw him grin.

"Ouch. That hurts," he said, but she could tell he was finally resting easier. "Kens? I need to talk to her."

"I'll get her." Kensi brushed his hair back and then kissed him lightly on the forehead before rising and going into the living room.

Hunter was hesitant as she came in and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Deeks? Are you awake?" She lightly touched his arm and he turned his face toward her.

"Yeah." He sounded so tired and she knew the emotional turmoil he was going through.

"I'm sorry, Deeks, I didn't think they would do this to you." Tears choked her voice as he took her hand.

"How much did you tell the others?" He asked quietly.

"I told them all of it, Deeks," She saw him recoil from her but she kept talking. "They need to know who their dealing with. You saw what keeping it inside did to me, so I didn't want you to go through the same torment. You have nothing to be ashamed of Marty."

"I need you to tell me what they did to me after I passed out." His voice was just a whisper, emotional and distant, but she knew he was determined to have the answer, and she understood.

"Nothing more, Marty," she said, putting her hand on his chest. She could feel some of the tension leave his body as he pulled himself into a ball and shed silent tears. She rubbed his back and sat with him until he went to sleep.

As she was closing the door, Kensi came up to stand next to her as they watched Deeks sleep.

"You're a lucky woman, Kensi. You've got a kind, gentle man that loves you," Hunter said as she turned to leave. "Don't blow it."

...

Deeks jumped when Pete came up behind him looking for a file. It had been three weeks since he had been attacked by Norris and Parker and Pete could tell he was still wary of people and inordinately quiet. Hetty had wanted to pull him out like she had already done with Hunter, but he talked her out of it, hiding his feelings with humor and lopsided grins. But, he really didn't fool anyone.

Hunter had come by to see him before she left for the east coast and Pete could see the bond they had. Pete saw a longing in her eyes as she looked at Deeks, and he wondered about their time together. He knew it would be a relief to Marty when she was gone, because Pete knew that every time he looked at her he thought of what had happened to them in that house.

"Do you ever think about getting out, Marty?" Pete asked as he brought him a cup of coffee. "You could open a small practice like this one, and I could be your investigator, just like we're pretending now."

Deeks laughed and shook his head, but Pete could see the shadows behind his eyes, and he knew he had considered it during the rough patches over the last couple of weeks.

"What, and miss all the cloak and dagger stuff?" he smiled as he answered, but Pete saw a sadness there, almost a loss of innocence that once had always been a part of him.

They both jumped as the phone rang, and Deeks face darkened as he saw the number calling. His hand shook as he answered it, putting it on speaker so Pete could listen. Eric was recording it as well.

"Hello, Tim," Norris said in a cool, businesslike manner. "Sorry about your girlfriend. She will be missed around here. Suicide is never the answer, Tim, don't you agree? Did they ever find her body?"

Pete saw barely contained rage fill Deeks' face and he almost couldn't speak. Pete caught his eye and he steadied himself.

"What do you want, you bastard?" Tim Gage suddenly asked. The two adversaries talked briefly about Krista and setting up a meeting, before Deeks hung up. Pete was always amazed at Deeks ability to infuse an alias with a different voice and speaking pattern. His alias this time sounded young and educated, but now Deeks had added a touch of false bravado to his voice and it made the character sound like someone easy to manipulate, especially to a man like Frank Norris.

"You okay?" Pete asked as he watched Deeks try to calm his racing heart.

"I want to kill both of them, Pete," he said as he rose from his chair and began to pace the room. "Did you hear how insolent he was when he talked about Krista's suicide? He's a sociopath, Pete, and a real prick."

Pete let him rant because he knew it was the only way he could vent his anger. But, he was a little concerned that Deeks was getting too much into his character, talking about Krista' suicide as if it had actually happened. Sometimes an alias takes over and Pete had to make sure that Deeks was emotionally stable and not going over the edge. He'd been through a disturbing ordeal, and when you're undercover the edge is pretty close.

"Can you do this, Marty?" Pete asked as he walked up and took his arm.

"What do you mean?" Deeks said with a puzzled look on his face as he pulled his arm free.

"You know what I mean," Pete got in his face again. "Cause if you can't, I need to know. We all need to know."

Suddenly Deeks' hands began to shake and he looked at them as if they weren't his own. He looked at Pete and then his legs collapsed under him and he would have hit the floor if Pete hadn't caught him. Pete held him as he cried out in anguish, yelling and swearing and fighting himself as his emotions raged out of control. He finally hung exhausted in Pete's arms, gasping for air, his eyes red and his voice just a whisper.

"Why did they do that to me, Pete?" he asked weakly as Pete lowered him to the floor and sat with him as he slowly regained control.

"They did it to break you down, Marty, to dominate you and make you feel vulnerable in their presence," he said slowly. "And because they're sick bastards."

"It worked," He lay down on the floor and stared at the ceiling, wiping his eyes as he struggled to understand his reaction.

"I thought I had gotten over it," he said haltingly. "I thought I had worked through all my anger, but when I heard his voice and what he said about Krista, I couldn't breathe. It felt like my heart was going to explode."

"Can you do this, Marty?" Pete asked again.

"I want to do it," he answered, "I think I need to do it in order to be sane again. Because if I let them win, then I'll lose myself. Does that make any sense, Pete?" He looked like a small boy when he asked that last question, and Pete wanted to crush the assholes who had done this to him.

"You're not alone in this, you know," he said in the way of an answer. "We all want to take the arrogant bastards down. For you and for Hunter."

"The meeting is here tomorrow night." Deeks stood and walked slowly to the phone to call Hetty and Callen. "Parker and Norris will be here, and so will a representative from the Chinese government."

He called and spoke calmly with Hetty and then with Callen, arranging to meet at the OSP Center in the morning, and when the call ended he looked exhausted, but under control.

"Thanks, Pete." he said shyly and smiled. "You're a good friend to have."

"Just call me Stu, Tim," he said, "and let's surprise the shit out of these bastards."

...

"Your office is completely bugged, Deeks," Callen informed him during the briefing. "And, Eric has hidden cameras stashed everywhere. We've left some obvious ones that you can explain as necessary for your type of work, and then you can simply disable them in front of them. If the Chinese do a sweep, Eric has provided some white noise so they won't find anything."

"Do you think they'll check to see if we're wired?" Pete asked.

"Let them. It might put them at ease." Hetty said as she studied Deeks closely. He had been very quiet during the briefing, and it had made all of them a little nervous. As much as Sam complained about his constant chatter, they knew it was part of his personality and when he was this quiet they became suspicious that something wasn't right with him.

"You with us, Deeks?" Sam caught his eye and asked the question that everyone wanted answered before they got in the middle of this.

"Yeah, but I have a question," he said looking at Hetty and then at Callen. "How much do you need to hear in order to arrest them?"

"We're looking for evidence of conspiracy to commit treason and aiding a foreign government in espionage." Hetty answered. "Get either Parker or Norris to express that's what their doing, then Callen and the team will breach and arrest everyone, including you two."

"No." Deeks said.

"What?" Callen looked up at him quickly and everyone became still and silent.

"I don't want to be arrested with them," Deeks stood up straight and looked directly at Hetty. "I want them to know I'm LAPD and that Krista was NCIS. I want to arrest them."

"Are you sure about this, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

"Absolutely!" he said with a determination they could all see plainly on his face.

"We've got your back, Deeks," Sam said smiling.

"I know," he said.

"What's the distress word?" Callen asked.

"Jodido." Deeks smiled at Kensi as he said it and she laughed and shook her head.

"I'll translate it for you later, Callen." Pete walked out with his arm around Deeks, and a big grin on his face.

"It's dirty, isn't it?" Sam said as he followed them out, leaving Hetty with a confident grin on her face.

...

Deeks felt completely calm as he and Pete waited for the two attorneys to arrive. No one knew how many Chinese operatives there would be, but Callen had set up an outer perimeter with a surveillance team to watch the surrounding area. Kensi was in position to take out any foreign operatives that might come upon the team unawares.

"They're here," Pete said and everyone became alert.

Frank Norris was the first one to come in and he had that condescending smirk on his face that Deeks remembered from the first time he met him. Joe Parker followed him in and looked at Deeks with dark predatory eyes. The Chinese were led by a large, course looking man that Deeks was sure from Hunter's description, was the man who had raped her, and was flanked by the two men who had held Deeks down at the house. He swallowed hard as he felt his left hand twitch.

"Hello, Mr. Gage, we meet again," Norris came forward as if to shake his hand, but stopped when he got close to Pete Archuleta. "You must be Stu Redman. Tim told us all about you. You two have quite a history together."

"You have no idea," Stu said, using a cold, rough voice with a hint of a southern accent.

"Tim, it looks like you have a few surveillance cameras. Turn them off. Anything else?" Norris motioned to the Chinese and they began a sweep and nodded that all was clear.

Norris walked up next to Deeks and smiled suggestively as he began to pat him down.

"You wouldn't be wearing a wire now, would you Tim?" Norris moved his hands slowly over Deeks' chest until Deeks pushed his hands away and stepped back from him fighting for control of his anger and breathing fast.

"Bad memories, Tim?" Norris smirked as he turned to pat down Stu Redman.

"Let me make it easy for you, dude," Redman said as he pulled open his shirt showing a chest with a scattering of scars. "Now, can we get down to business?"

Joe Parker walked slowly up to the desk and sat down.

"We need you gentlemen to bring a couple of Chinese friends up from Mexico." He pulled out a file folder and handed it to Tim Gage. "Their photos and information are all in there. When you have them settled in a safe house, we'll need you to provide them with false papers and get them established in permanent jobs, preferably close to Camp Pendleton."

"What kind of jobs?" Tim asked, his voice tentative and weak. "Why there?"

"Something in the computer industry, I think," Parker acted as if he were running a regular office meeting. "We'll also need an office close by Pendleton where they can have twenty-four hour access."

"I don't understand," Tim whined, "I thought we were just going to be smuggling people across the border. What's all this other stuff about? Why do they need twenty-four hour access?"

"Let's just say that we are helping our Chinese business associates keep up with their competition," he answered. "We'll be providing the computers they'll be needing."

"Who's their competition? Sorry to be so dense, but I'd like to know what you're getting me into." Tim Gage said that last bit with a firm voice full of bravado.

"The Chinese government has only one competitor, Mr. Gage," Parker leaned back with a smug look on his face. "Our government. And once we help the Chinese government do a little catching up, then we'll have access to a great deal of business opportunities in China." He and Norris smiled at each other.

"Your talking treason," Tim's voice wavered and his eyes grew big with fear.

"We're talking business, Mr. Gage, and you can be in on it with us." Norris said smiling.

"I don't think so, Mr. Norris," Deeks voice changed and Parker noticed. "I have a job already."

Deeks pulled his badge and showed it to them and smiled broadly at the looks on their faces.

"LAPD, assholes, you're under arrest for treason!"

Parker jumped up from his chair, knocking it over as he tried to run. The two Chinese agents rushed for the door just as Callen and Sam breached the entrance shouting "Federal Agents" and yelling for them to surrender. Norris reacted like the predator he was, pulling his weapon and firing directly at Deeks, but Pete Archuleta jumped in front of him, taking a bullet to the chest.

Deeks saw Pete go down and all the anger he had kept in check, all the pain he had tried to ignore, all the pent up rage exploded within him and he charged a stunned Frank Norris, bellowing at the top of his lungs, firing at him point blank, the bullets hitting there mark and sending Norris flying backwards into the wall.

Deeks rushed back to Pete as the shouting and gunfire continued all around him.

"Pete, what were you thinking, man?" Deeks pulled him into his arms and tried to see how badly he was hurt.

"Saving your sorry ass, dude," Pete said as he began to cough up blood. As he looked up at Deeks, he saw the head Chinese agent coming up quickly with a gun pointed at them.

"Deeks, look out," Pete shouted. But before Deeks could react, someone stepped in front of them and fired three bullets into the chest of the oncoming Chinese agent. He dropped dead at Hunter's feet.

"Hunter? I thought you were in Washington?" Deeks asked with an amazed look on his face.

"Call me Lauren, Marty." Then she walked over to where Sam had Joe Parker shoved up against a wall.

"Federal Agent," she said in his face, and slugged him, breaking his nose.

They never found out how she knew when and where the meeting was, but she had earned the right to do what she did, and none of them begrudged her actions, especially Deeks.

...

Epilogue:

Deeks was at Pete Archuleta's bedside when he woke up from surgery. He tried to thank him for saving his life, but Pete told him he owed him that after what had happened on their last assignment. They argued about it for a while, until Kensi came in and told them both to shut up.

"Did you see Hunter?" Deeks asked her.

"Yeah, and she asked if she could speak with you before she left." Kensi smiled softly as she told him that.

"Are you okay with that?" he asked her.

"You are in serious trouble, Marty," Pete said, shaking his head at his wimpy partner.

"It's what I deal with on a daily basis, man" Deeks laughed.

Kensi punched him in the arm as he walked out the door. He found Hunter in the waiting room and they walked down to the cafeteria together. After getting coffee and finding a secluded table outside, they looked at each other and smiled shyly, like they had just met.

"Remember what I said to you on the beach?" she asked with a far away look in her eyes.

"You mean the part about how sexy I am?" His lopsided grin made her smile.

"Yes. And the part about being surprised by you." She looked away and he could see she was debating with herself about what to say.

"I wasn't prepared for how kind and gentle you are and, yes, how sexy," she continued, smiling briefly. "When we began kissing in my apartment that night, I didn't want to stop, because you got to me Marty, and that hasn't happened in a long time. I needed someone like you after what they did to me. I wanted to be touched and caressed by you in that gentle, sexy way you have. You made me feel desirable, and no matter who was watching, I wanted you that night." She looked at him with a glimmer of tears in her eyes and saw that he was stunned by what she had said and she hung her head knowing there could never be anything between them because he was in love with someone else.

"You're in love with Kensi, aren't you?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

He took her hands in his and didn't know what to say.

Finally she stood to go and he hugged her. She reached for his cheek and kissed him softly on the mouth, lingering for a moment, and then smiling as she turned and walked away.

...

_One of my earlier stories, The Vulture, introduces the character Pete Archuleta._


End file.
